October 1, 2007­–BOSTON­–Post-menopausal women who experience at least one full-blown panic attack may have an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke and an increased risk of death in the next five years, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Panic attacks involve the sudden development of fear, anxiety or extreme discomfort accompanied by four or more additional symptoms, such as rapid pulse and shortness of breath. They may occur sporadically or as part of an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder or phobias.

September 28, 2007–PALMERSTON NORTH, NZ–A first-aid lesson turned into real-life drama when a man collapsed outside the classroom - forcing the tutor to put his training to the test.

And the students thought the emergency was staged for dramatic effect.

But the incident was very real, and Paul Fowles' quick thinking was able to save the elderly man who had suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

The 34-year-old from Palmerston North was about to start teaching CPR in the Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade building as part of a two-day St John Workplace First Aid course, when a member of the public ran inside yelling for help.

Across the road, a man believed to be in his 60s had collapsed on the pavement. “I went across and found he was not breathing and he didn't have a pulse,”Mr. Fowles said.

September 28, 2007–LONDON–David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player and former captain of the Manchester United team flew to London on Thursday after his father suffered a serious heart attack which led to cardiac arrest.

The 32-year-old landed at London's Heathrow airport after an overnight flight, and headed straight to the hospital where Ted Beckham, 59, was being treated after being taken ill late Wednesday.

Beckham's father suffered a heart attack at home and had to be resuscitated by paramedics in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

September 26, 2007–POUGHKEEPSIE, NY–Dutchess County launched its new HEART Safe initiative Tuesday, aiming to prevent deaths from cardiac arrest in businesses, schools and communities around the county.

The program is typically taken on by an entire state, (e.g., Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) but Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus believes that if the county starts its own initiative, other counties and maybe even New York state government will follow.

“Dutchess County is the first county in the nation to initiate the HEART Safe program,” noted Steinhaus. “We want to encourage every organization in the county to take these important steps to become a HEART Safe community.”

September 24, 2007­–LONDON–Researchers from the University of Warwick, and University College London, have found that lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. However they have also found that too much sleep can also more than double the risk of death.

According to the research, presented at the British Sleep Society by Professor Francesco Cappuccio from the University of Warwick’s Warwick Medical School, those who had cut their sleeping from seven hours to five hours or less faced a 1.7 fold increased risk in mortality from all causes, and twice the increased risk of death from a cardiovascular problem in particular.

September 22, 2007–ALBANY–A new law will expand New York State’s Public Access to Defibrillation program by requiring all high-occupancy facilities to be equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED), according to the American Heart Association.

September 22, 2007–INVECARGILL, NZ–Invercargill, New Zealand may have the highest saturation of defibrillators per capita in the world, according to St. John Ambulance, which is working with the Invercargill Licensing Trust (ILT) Foundation to make the community as safe as possible.

ILT has contributed more than $186,000 toward buying and installing 50 defibrillators in the Invercargill area, and providing training for 500 people to use the equipment. Places being considered for installation of the equipment included shopping outlets, sports clubs, libraries, swimming pools, entertainment venues and transport hubs.

In New Zealand, 3,800 people each year suffered from a cardiac arrest and 95 percent of victims die.

September 22, 2007–ROCHESTER, Minn.–Deputy Police Chief Steve Johnston has announced the 101st life saved by first responders in Rochester since the program began nearly 17 years ago.

Dr. Roger White, a professor at Mayo Medical School, medical director for Gold Cross Ambulance, and adviser to the SCA Foundation (see bio), initiated a study in November 1990 to see if putting portable defibrillators in four city squad cars would help save lives of people in cardiac arrest. It did, and the rest is history.

Rochester became the first city in the world to put the portable units in squad cars. Today, all Rochester squad cars have the units.

In 1998, the units were added to all Rochester firetrucks.

September 21, 2007–ATLANTA–Firefighters are dying on the job from preventable cardiovascular conditions. Death from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) represents the most common cause of a firefighter fatality.

According to a new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) alert, measures by fire departments and fire service agencies can prevent such incidents. Sudden cardiac death represents the most common cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities, killing about 45 each year.

The report, "Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden Cardiovascular Events," incorporates findings from NIOSH investigations into sudden cardiac-related deaths, an extensive review of the literature, and opinions from 12 outside experts in the fire service and occupational health communities.

September 20, 2007–WASHINGTON–The American Red Cross and American Heart Association have joined to applaud federal legislation that would designate the first week of June as “National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Week.” The bill, introduced today by U.S. Representatives John R. “Randy” Kuhl, Jr. (R-NY), and Dan Boren (D-OK) would further educate Americans about the necessity of CPR and AED training and use to reduce death and disability from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

“This legislation will help Americans save lives at the community level,” said Rep. Kuhl. “If you suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, you have (about) a five percent chance of survival. It doesn't have to be that way. If we can train more Americans in performing CPR and using AEDs, we can save more lives.”